The much talked about Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk battle has finally reached a point of no return with the undercard title fight against on May 18 now officially confirmed.
Fury and Usyk will finally meet in the ring as part of Riyadh’s season in Saudi Arabia to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
The winner of the highly anticipated fight will also unify the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in March 1999.
However, Fury and Usyk won’t be the only heavyweights on the card, which isn’t surprising considering His Excellency Turki Alalshikh loves big hitters.
Heavyweight contenders Frank Sanchez and Agit Kabayel have been added to the undercard for the May 18 fight at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) will feel confident heading into the fight after securing a stunning fourth-round knockout victory over previously undefeated heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov on the ‘Judgment Day’ card in last December.
Boxing fans thought Makhmudov would make the job easier on Kabayel. However, the German-born heavyweight dropped Makhmudov three times after attacking his body.
Meanwhile, Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) comes out on top after a seventh-round knockout victory over Junior Fa last December. It was a good performance from Sanchez, but Fa had lost two of his previous three fights.
Jai Opetaia, who scored an impressive KO victory over Ellis Zorro on the Doomsday card in Saudi Arabia last December, will face Mairis Briedis on May 18.
Opetaia has already proven himself against Briedis, beating the three-time cruiserweight champion over twelve rounds in July 2022, but he must do it again if he wants to become world champion for the second time.
The 28-year-old Australian was stripped of his crown when he fought Zorro in December and says he is eager to get the belt back.
Joe Cordina will defend his IBF super featherweight title in a cross-home clash against Ireland’s Anthony Cacace.
The 32-year-old Welshman previously defended his title against Edward Vazquez at the Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin after beating Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov to regain his belt.